Biomedical engineering and ethics: reflections on medical devices and PPE during the first wave of COVID-19.
BMC Med Ethics
; 22(1): 130, 2021 09 25.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1438272
ABSTRACT
In March 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that humanity was entering a global pandemic phase. This unforeseen situation caught everyone unprepared and had a major impact on several professional categories that found themselves facing important ethical dilemmas. The article revolves around the category of biomedical and clinical engineers, which were among those most involved in dealing with and finding solutions to the pandemic. In hindsight, the major issues brought to the attention of biomedical engineers have raised important ethical implications, such as the allocation of resources, the responsibilities of science and the inadequacy and non-universality of the norms and regulations on biomedical devices and personal protective equipment. These issues, analyzed one year after the first wave of the pandemic, come together in the appeal for responsibility for thought, action and, sometimes, even silence. This highlights the importance of interdisciplinarity and the definitive collapse of the Cartesian fragmentation of knowledge, calling for the creation of more fora, where this kind of discussions can be promoted.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Personal Protective Equipment
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Prognostic study
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
BMC Med Ethics
Journal subject:
Ethics
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S12910-021-00697-1
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